Name: White Bean Soup With Zhug
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Ingredients: 1 cup dry white/cannellini beans, or 2 (15-oz) cans (about 3½-4 cups); oil, as needed; 1 large onion, diced small; 1 large leek, white part only, diced small; 1 carrot, diced small; 1 rib of celery, diced small; 1 Roma tomato, chopped small (or 1 Tbsp tomato paste); 6 cloves garlic, peeled and divided; 2 large bay leaves, divided; 3 sprigs thyme, leaves removed; 10 cups (2½ quarts) chicken broth, vegetable broth or water; a spoonful of finely chopped parsley or cilantro stems (leftover from the zhug); salt and pepper, to taste; juice of ½ a lemon, or to taste; 5-10 small jalapeno peppers (5 for mild, 10 for hot), sliced in half and deseeded; 1 bunch cilantro; 1 bunch parsley; 1 large clove garlic, peeled; 1 Tbsp ground cardamom; 2 tsp caraway seeds (optional); 1 tsp kosher salt; juice of ½ a lemon; ¼ cup oil (a mild neutral oil: sunflower, canola, grapeseed, etc.)

Ingredients

For the soup:

1 cup dry white/cannellini beans, or 2 (15-oz) cans (about 3½-4 cups)
oil, as needed
1 large onion, diced small
1 large leek, white part only, diced small
1 carrot, diced small
1 rib of celery, diced small
1 Roma tomato, chopped small (or 1 Tbsp tomato paste)
6 cloves garlic, peeled and divided
2 large bay leaves, divided
3 sprigs thyme, leaves removed
10 cups (2½ quarts) chicken broth, vegetable broth or water
a spoonful of finely chopped parsley or cilantro stems (leftover from the zhug)
salt and pepper, to taste
juice of ½ a lemon, or to taste

For the zhug:

5-10 small jalapeno peppers (5 for mild, 10 for hot), sliced in half and deseeded
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch parsley
1 large clove garlic, peeled
1 Tbsp ground cardamom
2 tsp caraway seeds (optional)
1 tsp kosher salt
juice of ½ a lemon
¼ cup oil (a mild neutral oil: sunflower, canola, grapeseed, etc.)

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Instructions

If using dry beans: Soak the beans overnight. In a large pot or in an Instapot, cover the dried beans with 3-4 inches of water. Add a large bay leaf and 4 peeled cloves of garlic to the pot. Simmer beans until tender.
To a large pot add a generous drizzle of oil over medium heat, and add the diced onion, leek, carrot and celery. Sauté the vegetables until softened, about 6-8 minutes. Add the chopped tomato (or tomato paste), 2 peeled garlic cloves, 1 bay leaf, thyme and chopped herb stems to the pot. Stir and sauté for another minute.
Add the liquid to the pot; if I’ve made the beans from dried, I like to add a few cups of the bean cooking liquid in addition to broth.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the cooked or canned beans to the pot and simmer for another 20-25 minutes. Taste and season as needed. Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice.
At this point, you can serve the soup as is. However, I prefer to remove about a third of the soup from the pot. I blend the remaining soup until light and creamy, using an immersion blender. I add the remaining soup back to the pot. This makes the soup satisfyingly smooth, with pops of beans and vegetables.
To make the zhug: To a food processor add the deseeded jalapenos, parsley, cilantro, garlic, cardamom, caraway and salt. Pulse until finely chopped. If you don’t have a food processor, you can also chop the ingredients finely by hand. Transfer the chopped mixture to a bowl. Add the oil and lemon juice, and stir until combined.
Serve topped zhug to your taste.

Notes

Zhug will last up to 2 weeks in a well-sealed container, or it can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Author: Sonya Sanford
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Category: Soup
Method: Stovetop